ICC T20 World Cup 2026 | Harshit Rana ruled out of tournament, Mohd Siraj named as replacement

Team India pacer Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after sustaining a knee injury during the warm-up match against South Africa in Navi Mumbai on February 4.

“Following consultations with a specialist and subsequent scans, the BCCI medical team deemed him unfit to participate in the tournament. The team management wishes him a speedy recovery. Mohd Siraj will join the team as Harshit’s replacement in the squad,” it added.

During India’s warm-up game against South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium, the 24-year-old Rana twice aborted his run-up and was seen clutching his right knee while bowling his first over. He managed to complete the over, conceding 16 runs, but limped off the field in visible distress right after that.

Skipper Suryakumar Yadav, addressing the pre-match press conference at the Wankhede Stadium, had expressed concern over Rana’s injury, literally ruling him out of the marquee event. “After the warm-up game, he wasn’t looking good. Physios are assessing him, but I think they will find out today. But he doesn't look good. Yeah, it's not that great,” said the concerned Mumbaikar.

Suryakumar’s worst fears came true later in the day as Rana, a protege of head coach Gautam Gambhir, had ended up becoming an integral member of the team owing to his ability to land a few lusty blows down the order. When asked how big a blow it would be for India if Rana was indeed going to be ruled out, Suryakumar joked that there are enough players in the dressing room to take the field against the USA on Saturday.

“Don't worry, we have 11 players for tomorrow,” he said, eliciting laughter. “But the blow is big, obviously. If you make a squad of 15 players, you make it with a lot of combinations in mind. We did the same. If he is not available for us going forward, then we will set other combinations. But we have enough players, enough combinations to play against all the teams. But we will definitely miss him.”

Although the BCCI retained Washington Sundar in the squad, there are concerns about the Tamil Nadu spinning all-rounder's fitness. Sundar suffered a side strain during the opening game of the New Zealand ODI series and has been recuperating at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence since then.

Siraj, primarily considered a Test bowler, last played a T20I for India against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in July 2024. He returned to the ODI fold after a year’s hiatus for the three-match series against Australia Down Under last October.

India’s updated squad: Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-captain), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj.